The ARCO contemporary art fair opens this week in Madrid one of its most international editions. The Spanish capital, nicknamed “the new Miami” because of the wave of upper-class Latinos who have settled there, attracts galleries from all over the world in search of these wealthy collectors, the director of the fair, Maribel López. .
Of the 211 galleries (189 in 2022) coming this year, 66% are foreign and, of this percentage, 29% come from Latin America. Argentina is the most present country.
For years, the fair – which takes place from February 22 to 26 – has fostered good relations with the Southern Cone, turning many of its countries into guests of honor and now many Latin American galleries are loyal to the event. .
But the relationship goes much further. The wave of Venezuelan, Mexican, Colombian or Peruvian businessmen who settled in Madrid -sometimes because of the political situation in their country-, favored the presence of Latin American galleries at ARCO and in other other places that are looking for these wealthy collectors, argues its director.
“The presence of Latin Americans in the city has been gradual, it is not from 2022, it is deeply rooted and has an important role in contemporary art. They are people who come with possibilities, they have a home here and collector friends.” Lopez said.
But the phenomenon does not stop there, in recent years several Latin American art galleries have opened offices in Madrid, something that probably would not have happened without this phenomenon.
“Not all of them are big, there are also young galleries that take risks”, argues the director of ARCO.
The expectation with this edition is maximum. The number of galleries has increased considerably and the number of guests marks a record: nearly 400 collectors and 200 professionals from 40 countries will come.
“Last year we felt like it, but this year again. We haven’t had any cancellations,” he says.
NO MASK AND NO PLACE FOR WOMEN
The show, which this year removed the restrictions, chose for the first time a territory as its main theme: the Mediterranean. The idea was forged during the pandemic: “I was interested in thinking about the territory in a broader way, not only in what differentiates us but in what can unite us”, explains López.
The programming is entrusted to Maria Fokidis and will include around twenty galleries in a central space of the fair, as well as a program of activities.
What there won’t be this year is a space dedicated to women artists. For two years, ‘Artist Projects’, a series of spaces spread throughout the fair in which the galleries dedicated to a special or more complex project were dedicated to women.
The reason for her elimination is that the galleries, she says, have taken notice and “introduced more women”, explains the director.
Another reason is that it seemed like a “very binary” and “too narrow” requirement, making it a “women vs. men” requirement, when some people don’t fit that definition. Of the twenty places this year, fifteen are reserved for women.
“I cannot program the fair, although I am tempted as a director. The artistic content must go hand in hand with the galleries”, explains López.
The latest data available (from 2018) comes from the Association of Women in the Audiovisual Arts and revealed that only 19% of the artists present at the fair were women.
WILL THERE BE A CONTROVERSY?
Not inclined to reveal any surprises, what the director of ARCO says is that after years of a lot of painting, the object and traditional knowledge are consolidating. “The presence of textiles, ceramics, glass, is something that has played an important role among young people for some time,” he explains, which is why this edition will be seen with force.
What will not be missing are the names of established artists such as Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Joan Miró, Antoni Tapies, Canogar, Chillida, Sonia Delaunay, Miquel Barceló, Olaffur Eliasson, Chema Madoz, Equipo 57, Dalí, Francis Bacon, Antonio López or Soledad Sevilla, among others.
There is also a unique surprise this year, for the first time a Ukrainian gallery will visit the fair, Voloshyn Gallery, with a “very beautiful” recovery project of a Ukrainian artist. “It’s a great project”, says the director of the fair. Last year ARCO opened its doors the day the war broke out.